Owner-reported complaints naming the engine system, filed with NHTSA
Data refreshed
Reports naming the engine itself — including stalling, misfires, oil consumption, cooling and internal engine components. Every record below is an owner-reported complaint about the 1996 Plymouth Neon submitted to NHTSA — not a confirmed defect, not a recall and not a manufacturer bulletin. 167 reports on file name it.
Complaints are reports submitted by owners and drivers to NHTSA. They are not verified and do not establish that a defect exists.
The 25 most recent of 167, in the owner's own words
THE CAR WAS RUN FOR 45MINS AT 10MPH FOLLOWING A TRACTOR. THE LAST 2 MILES WERE AT 55MPH. A FEW MINUTES AFTER THE VEHICLE WAS HOME AND THE ENGINE TURNED OFF, THE ENGINE COMPARTMENT CAUGHT ON FIRE. ALL WIRING AND PLASTIC COMPONENTS ARE A COMPLETE LOSS, HOOD IS DAMAGED, AND ALL LIGHT UNITS ARE RUINED. *TR
CONSUMER IS EXPERIENCING PROBLEMS GETTING HER 1996 PLYMOUTH NEON REGISTERED BECAUSE IT ALLEGEDLY FAILED TO PASS A SMOG CHECK.*MR IN SEPTEMBER 200 THE VEHICLE PASSED THE TEST. IN SEPTEMBER 2003 THE CONSUMER RECEIVED A LETTER FROM THE MANUFACTURER ADVISING HER THAT HER MAKE/MODEL HAD BEEN RECALLED BECAUSE OF A PROBLEM WITH THE OBD SELF TEST. THE CONSUMER'S VEHICLE WAS NOT EXPERIENCING THE SYMPTOMS OF THE RECALL THEREFORE SHE DIDN'T TAKE IT TO THE DEALER. IN SEPTEMBER 2004 WHEN SHE ATTEMPTED TO REGISTER THE VEHICLE AND OBTAIN A NEW SMOG CERTIFICATE SHE WAS ADVISED THAT HER VEHICLE FAILED THE MIL/CHECK ENGINE LIGHT DUE TO FAILURE TO SUCCESSFULLY COMPLETE ALL OBD SELF TEST. UPON REVIEWING THE VIN THE DMV CLAIMED THAT THE VEHICLE HAD BEEN SALVAGED THEREFORE IT DID NOT RECEIVE THE RECALL FROM THE MANUFACTURER. *NM
VEHICLE STALLED UNEXPECTEDLY AT VARIOUS SPEEDS WHEN ON THE ROAD. OCCASIONALLY, THE LEFT TURN SIGNAL DID NOT OPERATE, WHICH DID NOT INFORM OTHER DRIVERS WHEN MAKING TURNS. CRUISE CONTROL DID NOT OPERATE, AS WELL PREVENTING THE VEHICLE FROM INCREASING OR DECREASING SPEED.*AK
OIL LEAKS, DASHBOARD FAILURE, NOISE IN BRAKES, WIND NOISE IN PASSENGERS DOOR. HAVE REPLACED VALVE COVER GASKET TWICE, REPLACED OIL SENDIND UNIT,CAM SENSOR WAS REPLACED NOW I HAVE A BIG OIL LEAK, CAR ONLY HAS 45000 MILES ON IT. *AK
HEAD GASKET FAILURE ON A 1996 PLYMOUTH NEON SPORT SOHC 2.0. HEAD GASKET REPLACEMENT $500.00 REPAIR BILL THROUGH MECHANIC ALONG WITH $200.00 IN PARTS
HAVE PERSISTENT OIL LEAK. WENT TO MECHANIC, STATED SHOULD BE A RECALL. CONTACTED DAIMLERCHRYSLER AND DID NOT FIND A RECALL. BECAUSE OF THE PROBLEM GOT GASKET FIXED 2001. HAVE SAME PROBLEM NOW AND TWO NEW MECHANICS HAVE ADVISED I NEED A HEAD GASKET.EVERYONE I TALK TO AT CHYRSLER IS AWARE OF THE PROBLEM. NOW WHAT DO I DO? *AK
SINCE 1999 THIS CAR HAS BEEN LEAKING OIL. REPLACED CAM SEAL AND HEAD GASKET ONCE UNDER WARRANTY. 1 MONTH LATER (WHEN WARRANTY RAN OUT) HAD TO BE REPLACED AGAIN AT A COST OF 500.00. 6 MONTHS LATER STARTED LEAKING AGAIN. TOOK TO A MECHANIC WHO SAID THIS IS COMMON FOR THIS TYPE OF VEHICLE. REPLACED CAM SEAL AND HEAD GASKET AGAIN. 1 MONTH LATER SAME THING. SAID CHRYSLER HAD A NEW AND "IMPROVED" SEAL. GUESS WHAT WE ARE TAKING THE CAR TO THE DEALER AGAIN TOMORROW. THIS WILL BE THE 6TH TIME. I HAVE PROBABLY SPENT ON REPAIRS THE SAME AMOUNT I SPENT FOR THE CAR. CHRYSLER WON'T DO A THING FOR THE CONSUMERS. IF THERE IS A LAWSUIT I WOULD LIKE TO KNOW ABOUT IT. CAN YOU PLEASE HELP? *PH
HEAD GASKET ON 1996 NEON FAILED CAUSING CAR TO STOP IN A BUSY INTERSECTION. LUCKILY, NO INJURIES RESULTED FROM THIS FAILURE. DESPITE WIDESPREAD REPORTS OF FREQUENTLY FAILING HEAD GASKETS IN 1995-97 PLYMOUTH AND DODGE NEONS WITH LOW MILEAGE, CHRYSLER REFUSES TO OFFICIALLY ACKNOWLEDGE THE PROBLEM AND RARELY OFFERS TO FIX THE PROBLEM. *NLM
HEAD GASKET LEAK. CHRYSLER REFUSES TO OWN UP TO A FAULTY GASKET. WHY? MANY PEOPLE HAVE THIS PROBLEM.*JB
I HAVE A 1996 NEON WHICH I PURCHASED USED IN AUGUST OF 2001 WITH ONLY 35,000 MILES ON IT. ABOUT 3 MONTHS AGO I TOOK IT IN FOR MY MONTHLY OIL CHANGE/LUBE AND WAS TOLD THAT MY HEAD GASKET WAS CRACKED AND THAT I WOULD NEED TO GET IT REPLACED. THEY TOLD ME IT WOULD BE A $1200 REPAIR. I BEGAN TO CALL AROUND AND EACH PLACE, WHEN I MENTIONED THE PROBLEM AND THE YEAR/MAKE/MODEL OF MY CAR, TOLD ME THAT THEY COULD HAVE GUESSED WHAT THE REPAIR WAS THAT I NEEDED JUST BY ME GIVING THEM THE TYPE OF CAR I DRIVE. I'VE CALLED 5 PLACES NOW TO GET A QUOTE ON THIS REPAIR AND PRICES RANGE ANYWHERE BETWEEN $700 - $1200, DEPENDING ON THE SHOP I USE. BY THE WAY - I LOSE ABOUT A QUART OF OIL PER WEEK. I WANTED TO DO A LITTLE RESEARCH TO SEE HOW COMMON OF A PROBLEM THIS IS, SO I WENT ON THE INTERNET AND FOUND SO MANY COMPLAINTS THAT IT BLEW MY MIND! I FOUND OUT THAT THERE WAS A DEFECT IN THE HEAD GASKET DESIGN IN PRE-99 MODELS AND CHRYSLER KNEW ABOUT IT. IT WAS NEVER RECALLED, BUT AS FAR AS I AM CONCERNED IT IS A HUGE CONSUMER FRAUD ISSUE. I HAVE FOUND THAT 32% OF NEON OWNERS HAVE HAD TO REPLACE THIS PART - WHICH IS OBVIOUSLY EXTREMELY HIGH. IT REALLY IS TOO BAD THAT CHRYSLER DID NOT STAND UP FOR THEIR PRODUCT RIGHT AWAY BY VOLUNTARILY ISSUING A RECALL OR BY AT LEAST FIXING THE CARS THAT WERE AFFECTED BEFORE THE PART WAS REDESIGNED. I CANNOT AFFORD A REPAIR LIKE THIS ON MY CAR - I BOUGHT A NEON BECAUSE I THOUGHT THEY WERE RELIABLE CARS WITH GREAT GAS MILEAGE, WHICH I NEED FOR MY LONG COMMUTE TO WORK EVERY DAY. IF THIS IS A PROBLEM THE MANUFACTURER KNEW ABOUT, I FEEL THAT THEY SHOULD BE PAYING FOR THE REPAIR. WHAT CAN I DO?! *JB
HEAD GASKET LEAK...WAS REPLACED TWICE...FINALLY A DIFFERENT STYLE THAT WAS NOT FAULTY WAS RELEASED...FIBROUS GASKET LEAKED, WHEREAS THE MULTILAYER METAL GASKET DIDN'T.
HEAD GASKET FAILED. PH
3 HEAD GASKETS FAILURED IN 6 YEARS RESULTING IN ENGINE STALLING ON THE SIDE OF THE ROAD. FAILURES WERE AT 30K, 45K, AND 70K MILES RESPECTIVELY. MOST RECENT FAILURE OCCURRED ON 01/29/02. DEALER IS UNABLE TO DETERMINE CAUSE OF FAILURES. TS
THE VEHICLE NEEDED MAJOR REPAIRS ON THE BRAKES. *YH THE CAMSHAFT SEAL FAILED TWICE, THE POWER STEERING BELTS FAILED WHILE TRAVELING DURING TRAFFIC, AND THE RADIO MALFUNCTIONED. *SCC
IN APRIL 2000, HEAD GASKET BLEW, WAS INFORMED BY MECHANIC TO CALL CHRYSLER CORP. CALLED THEM AND THEY SENT ME TO CHRYSLER DEALER. HAD TO PAY 195 FOR DIAGNOSTIC TEST. THEY REPAIRED THE HEAD GASKET. ASLO INFORMED THEM OF WATER ENTERING THE REAR OF THE CAR THRU SIDE WINDOWS. THEY CLAIMED THEY WATER TESTED IT AND FOUND NO WATER LEAK. NOW 26 MONTHS LATER, NOTICED ANOTHER LEAK, TOOK TO MECHANIC WAS TOLD HEAD GASKET NEEDS REPLACING. CONTACT CHRYSLER, THEY SAID IT WAS NOT UNDER WARRANTY. WHEN IS SOMEONE GOING TO LOOK INTO THIS. MY COMPLAINT MAKES 108 ON HEAD GASKETS ONLY. THAT IS 108 PEOPLE WHO HAVE SPENT MONIES ON SOMETHING THAT SHOULD BE RECALLED. IF THIS IS NOT RESOLVED CHRYLSER/PLYMOUTH WILL HAVE LOST ANOTHER CUSTOMER. DOES SOMEONE HAVE TO DIE IN ORDER FOR SOMETHING TO BE DONE?*AK
O RINGS ON AIR CONDITIONING UNIT REPLACED ON 6-23-00, EVAPORTATION COIL REPLACED ON 9-12-00. PLUG, SENOR-OXYGEN, EXHAUST, WIRING PKG-POSTIVE CABLE REPLACED 10-2-00, TEMPERATURE PROBE REPLACED 7-19-01. AIR CONDITIONING FAILED AGAIN IN AUGUST, 2001. I HAVE ALSO REPLACED THE INNER OUTER LEFT TIE RODS 4-9-98, HEAD GASKET 1-28-00, OIL SENDING UNIT 3-3-00, REAR MAIN SEAL AND BEDPLATE 5-9-00.
VEHICLE STALLS AT ANY SPEEDS ALMOST CAUSING AN ACCIDENT. VEHICLE LOSES ALL POWER AND WILL NOT RESTART. VEHICLE RUNS HOT AND ROUGH AS MOTOR OIL LEAKS OUT. A QUART ONCE A WEEK PROGRESSED TO EVERY 2-3 DAYS DUE TO LEAKING OUT. INDEPENDENT MECHANIC HAD TO REPLACE HEAD GASKETS. PLEASE PROVIDE MORE INFORMATION.*AK
LOSS OF OIL WHILE DRIVING, AND OIL LEAKAGES WHILE PARKED. DEALER NOTIFIED, AND INFORMED CONSUMER THAT PROBLEM IS A BLOWN HEAD GASKET. FEEL FREE TO PROVIDE ANY FURTHER INFORMATION.*AK
NO SUMMARY LISTED FOR ABOVE VEHICLE. *AK
UPCOMING ENGINE CATASTROPHIC FAILURE DUE TO WATER/ OIL MIXING. *AK
HEAD GASKET BLEW OUT. WHEN CHECKING ENGINE THERE WAS COOLANT ON FLOORBOARD. CONTACTED DEALER, AND THEY WERE GOING TO TAKE A LOOK AT VEHICLE.*AK
WHILE VEHICLE WAS BEING SERVICED TECHNICIAN NOTICED AN OIL LEAK FROM HEAD GASKET. *AK CONSUMER WANTS CHRYSLER COMPANY TO PAY FOR THE REPAIR.*YD
FROM MY MECHANIC'S DESCRIPTION, THIS IS A MAJOR PROBLEM WITH THIS MODEL, TO THE POINT A NEW STYLE GASKET IS AVAILABLE BUT AT A COST OF WELL OVER $800+ IN REPAIR COSTS TO THE CONSUMER, AND I UNDERSTAND A LAWSUIT IS BEING PROPOSED. *AK
HEAD GASKET CRACKED, CAUSING WATER TO GO INTO RADIATOR. IN LESS THAN A YEAR HEAD GASKET CRACKED AGAIN, SPRAYING OIL OVER THE ENGINE. CONTACTED DEALER, AND HAD TO REPLACE HEAD GASKETS TWICE.*AK
MY NEON HAS BEEN INTERMITTENTLY STALLING OUT WHEN SLOWING FOR STOPS, STARTING THE VEHICLE AND INTERMITTENTLY WHEN I AM AT IDLE. THIS BECOMES AN ISSUE WHEN I AM PULLING OFF THE HIGHWAY AND THE CAR STALLS, THUS MAKING IT DIFFICULT FOR VEHICLES BEHIND ME TO STOP IN TIME. NO CRASHES HAVE INCURRED YET, BUT THEY ARE POSSIBLE. I HAVE TAKEN IT IN 3 TIMES NOW TO LEBANON CHRYSLER-PLYMOUTH FOR REPAIR. 11-19: FUEL PUMP AND VARIOUS CABLES REPLACED. PROBLEM RETURNED. !2-31: IDLE MEMORY NEEDED TO BE RESET. 1-2-02: THROTTLE BODY AND THERMOSTAT NEED REPLACED...ALL OF THESE ITEMS WERE COMPLETED ON DIFFERENT DATES FOR THE SAME PROBLEM. MY CAR IS CURRENTLY AT LEBANON CHRYSLER AND HOPEFULLY THE PROBLEM WILL BE FIXED COMPLETELY THIS TIME, BUT IT HAS BEEN A SAFETY ISSUE WHILE I DRIVE. I LEAVE SUFFICIENT DISTANCE BETWEEN MYSELF AND OTHER VEHICLES, BUT I CANNOT PREDICT HOW OTHERS WILL DRIVE. THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME AND PLEASE LET ME KNOW WHAT YOU CAN DO TO HELP. LISA BRADY. *AK
Higher-selling and older vehicles accumulate more reports. Counts are not failure rates and are not directly comparable between vehicles that sold in very different numbers.
Categories with enough reports to have a page of their own
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